Proof-of-concept analysis of a supplemental solar power system for aircraft

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to analyze the viability of a solar power system as a supplemental power source for commercial and business aircraft. Design/methodology/approach First, a model is established to estimate the potential available power from suitable aircraft surfaces for various meteorological conditions, ground and flight mission characteristics. A proposed aircraft system architecture and an associated parametric conceptual sizing model are presented. This supplemental solar power system sizing model is integrated into an aircraft multidisciplinary design optimization environment to evaluate the aircraft-level impact on mission fuel burn. A parametric study for a business jet aircraft is performed to analyze various solar cell types and power densities for converters. Trade-off studies are performed between efficiency and weight. Findings Considering today’s efficiency and power-to-weight ratio of the system components, overall fuel burn reduction can be achieved. Therefore, the technology development work can start now to target short to mid-term applications. In addition, promising system integration scenarios are identified, such as the use of solar power for autonomous operation of the air conditioning system on ground, which yield potential further benefit. In conclusion, a supplemental solar power system seems a promising candidate for more efficient aircraft operation. Originality/value The presented novel supplemental solar power system architecture concept and its foreseen aircraft integration show potential benefits for near term applications. The results show that the break even for this technology is already reached and therefore build the foundation to further investigate the technology integration challenges. Clear directions for future research and development are outlined enabling the advancement of the technology readiness level.

Energy Harvesting Technologies for Structural Health Monitoring of Airplane Components—A Review

“…Despite the fact that solar-powered airplane designs are generally striving at a different goal, typically requiring novel designs from the ground up, the findings made in this domain over the years are of considerable interest to evaluate the potential for solar-powered SHM systems. Some of the most relevant studies in this domain include those of Ramirez-Diaz et al [ 181 ] and Liscouet-Hanke et al [ 182 ], who investigated the potential for PV systems to be used as a power source to, at least partly, meet the electrical energy needs of commercial airplanes during operation. These studies show that the properties of PV devices, the external influences, and the potential integration of the technology into an airplane all have to be properly considered.…”

“…In fact, the expected output power is dependent on environmental factors, such as temperature, humidity, wind, and cloud coverage, as well as operational parameters such as geographical location, time of the day, day of the year, direction, and tilt. Although a number of these parameters can be considered, with more or less effort, in mission planning [ 181 , 182 ], an uncertainty and mission dependency remains. A potential PV system to be used for powering SHM sensor nodes in airplanes will, consequently, likely need to be over-dimensioned, particularly for most application scenarios in commercial flights.…”

“…A number of studies [ 181 , 182 , 187 , 188 ] make, in turn, use of models that take into account the movement of the airplane, and estimate the solar radiation on a surface of the airplane during a given mission. To evaluate the amount of energy that can be harvested under realistic conditions, a number of scenarios can then be evaluated, including flight and parking at different geographical locations and on different days.…”

“…To evaluate the amount of energy that can be harvested under realistic conditions, a number of scenarios can then be evaluated, including flight and parking at different geographical locations and on different days. The obtained results demonstrate that energy levels of the same order of magnitude as that required by onboard electronics can be harvested by using a PV system [ 181 , 182 ]. These studies are, however, limited to rather long flights, and specific routes or locations.…”

“…Studies of solar-powered airplanes have demonstrated that sufficient energy can be generated to operate on solar energy alone, and over extended periods of time, small unmanned and manned aircraft [ 178 , 187 , 190 , 191 , 192 ]. Other studies have demonstrated that solar power has the potential to supply the needed electricity on commercial planes during the entire flight, which is of the order of hundreds of watts [ 181 , 182 ].…”